Greens call for CSG poll defeated

At the June Council meeting, Marrickville ALP and Independent councillors voted against a Greens motion to hold a poll on Coal Seam Gas mining in the Marrickville local government area.

Despite the ongoing concerns of residents faced with a potential gas mining site in St. Peters, these 7 councillors did not see the sense in council conducting a poll which would have, in all likelihood, shown how huge the opposition to CSG mining is in Marrickville.

Councillor Cathy Peters put the motion to Council because a poll could have been conducted during the forthcoming local government elections in September which would have provided important and significant statistical evidence of the local community’s opposition to SCG mining and exploration. St Peters is the first urban coal seam gas drill site in Australia. It is seven kilometres from the CBD, and right next to schools, pre-schools and homes.

“Our residents have been denied the opportunity to voice their opposition (or support) for CSG mining during the forthcoming local government election and for Council to have obtained important statistical information from a large representative body of residents in our area” commented Clr Peters.

Marrickville Council has expressed ongoing concern about the potential for CSG mining at St Peters since the details of the granting of exploratory licenses by the then NSW Labour Government to Dart Energy, formally Macquarie Energy, became public. The council recently reaffirmed its opposition to CSG mining on the Dial-a-Dump site by explicitly disallowing any extractive mining on the site in the conditions of consent for the company’s recent DA.

Communities throughout NSW are facing similar issues regarding CSG mining and its impact in their communities. Lismore City Council has voted to conduct a similar poll during the forthcoming election to gauge the level of community support or other for this mining.

Greens councillors and the local action group, Stop CSG Sydney, were unimpressed with the position taken by ALP and Independent councillors who argued against a poll even though the cost of it was covered in Council’s budget for the local government election.

“This was an excellent opportunity for residents to voice their opinion and to provide Council with information which could be used to inform State and Federal politicians on the community’s views on CSG mining and exploration and given the potential impact of CSG mining and exploration here and throughout Australia, such a poll should have been undertaken”.

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The Marrickville and Petersham-Newtown Greens are the local groups for members of The Greens political party living in the Sydney suburbs of Dulwich Hill, Enmore, Lewisham, Marrickville, Newtown, Petersham, St Peters, Stanmore, Sydenham and Tempe.

All electoral comment on this site authorised by Richard Morrell 19 Eve Street Erskinville NSW